Austrian Chancellor Tells Putin to End Ukraine Invasion As Mariupol Reports 10K Civilian Deaths
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has been a complete failure in all ways except one: the body count.
The Russian dictator is facing his country’s first financial default since the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 amid growing demands from world leaders to end the unprovoked war that has seen some of the worst atrocities committed against Ukrainian citizens. The mayor of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol said Monday that more than 10,000 civilians have died in the Russian siege of his city, and that the death toll could surpass 20,000, with corpses that were “carpeted through the streets.” Similarly, images from the city of Bucha have depicted scenes of horrific war crimes that have moved some to invoke the term “genocide” in connection with Putin’s army.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer traveled to Moscow to meet with Putin and urged him to end the invasion of Ukraine, and raised the issue of “serious war crimes” committed by the Russian military. Nehammer, the first European leader to meet Putin in Moscow since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prior to meeting with Putin.
Danke für das offene und ehrliche Gespräch sowie den freundschaftlichen Empfang in Kyijw @ZelenskyyUa. Österreich weiß, was das ukrainische Volk derzeit erleiden muss. Wir werden helfen, wo wir können, um das humanitäre Leid zu lindern und diesen Krieg zu beenden. pic.twitter.com/0OhtvmroFK
— Karl Nehammer (@karlnehammer) April 9, 2022
“Thank you for the open and honest conversation and the friendly welcome in Kyiv @ZelenskyyUa,” Nehemmer tweeted. “Austria knows what the Ukrainian people are currently suffering. We will help where we can to alleviate humanitarian suffering and end this war.
#Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer commented on his talks with #Putin
According to him, it was "not a friendly visit", meeting was "very tough", open and direct.
Nehammer talk about war crimes of the #Russian army in #Ukraine and the need for their international investigation. pic.twitter.com/zzwFZFpa1u
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 11, 2022
Nehemmer said in a statement after the meeting that his primary message to Putin in the “very direct, open and tough” talks was that “this war needs to end, because in war both sides can only lose.” The meeting, which lasted just over an hour, was not “a visit of friendship,” Nehammer said in his statement, in which he also related he made it very clear to Putin that the sanctions “will remain and be intensified as long as people keep dying in Ukraine.”
⚡️ Nehammer holds talks with Putin, says sanctions will remain as long as Ukrainians are dying.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer told Russian dictator Vladimir Putin that sanctions would increase.
He added that he “saw the immeasurable suffering caused by the Russian war.”
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 11, 2022